The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!

This books is typical of what you expect in kids literature these days. Poorly written, intended to be “funny”, which it is, but in poor taste. It teaches kids how to be a smarty pants, encourages arguing and yelling demands. This book makes childish tantrum behavior seem funny and acceptable. Waste of time and harmful moral.

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy is the latest installment of "The Pigeon" books by Mo Willems. This is the first one that we have read, and both my 3 year old daughter and I laughed out loud. The Pigeon sounds like a typical preschooler, wanting what he wants when he wants it, and he wants it NOW. Most children will recognize themselves in it, causing them great giggles. The Pigeon breaks the fourth wall, and speaks directly to your child. Mine answers him every time. The Pigeon begs, he pleads, he yells, he bargains, he tantrums to get the puppy that he must, Must, MUST have...that is, until he gets it. This is a truly delightful and engaging story to read out loud to your little ones. It is an excellent length for a bedtime story, and one you will both enjoy. We look forward to reading more. This has very quickly become a new favorite at our house.

The Pigeon wants a puppy. He really does. And with all the glee and naïveté of a child (or pigeon) he expresses his desires and expectations in this latest installment of storybook author Mo Willems' popular Pigeon series. He begs. He bargains. In red-echoed letters he demands. And of course he promises great feats of responsibility: "I promise I'll water it once a month." But would you make his dreams come true? Many parents do. Many parents seem to see possession of a puppy as a rite of passage for their children: an ownership of life, a dry-run at all there is to come. Indeed, puppies and children go paw-in-hand for thousands of families, the embodiment of the American Dream. In fact, one-in-three American homes gives shelter to at least one dog. The problem is puppies are not possessions. And if puppy "ownership" is a dry-run at life for children, for the puppy it is very, very real. But of course the Pigeon can't see that. He's a puppy-lovin' pigeon! And the romance of his desire, swathed in rosy hues and fuchsia hearts, colors his judgment, as romantic ideals color the judgment of too many American families each year. How many frantic phone calls I receive from parents at their wits' end because the puppy they brought home for junior has revealed himself to be shockingly alive: independent, averse to piggyback rides, and in need of more than sunshine and monthly watering. And the fact that they had wanted this four-legged possession forever - or "at least since last Tuesday" - notwithstanding, now they tell me his behavior must change immediately, yesterday!, or he has to go. As if he has anywhere to go. It's about realistic expectations. It's about early education so that our children learn and grow and develop a consciousness in which "The teeth! The hair! That wet nose! The slobber! The claws!" of a dog are taken into consideration before he is taken into our homes. ("I mentioned the teeth, right?") And it's about a shift in perception, away from our egocentric view of humanity as little gods with dominion over the earth and its creatures, towards a donning of the mantle of humane stewardship: our responsibility and gift to the world around us in return for Life itself. Willems' Pigeon is an iconic figure: at turns playful and pouting, he embodies the intense and unrealistic yearnings of youth, an Everychild (or Everypigeon) who flies in the face of romantic ideals. But the lessons the Pigeon has to teach are not just for children - and certainly should not be limited to children "Ages 2-6" as suggested on the back of the book. Indeed, this brilliant little tome should be required reading at shelters, rescue organizations, and even breeders' facilities and pet stores (if, heaven forbid, one should choose to purchase a puppy from one of those). Certainly all dog trainers need to be aware of this book. I do want my clients to be happy. I do understand. The desire for a warm-bodied, four-legged friend with

Preschoolers will recognize themselves in Pigeon, a big-eyed blue bird that really, really, really wants a puppy. He's wanted it "forever! At least since last Tuesday." Pigeon speaks directly to the reader from page one. "Oh, hello. How are you? I'm fine, thanks for asking." He proceeds to tell you how much he wants a puppy, how he'll take care of it by watering it once a month. Pigeon gets emotional when he concludes that you don't want him to have a puppy. He throws a tantrum: "I WANT A PUPPY! RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW!" Mo Willems uses speech balloons to show that Pigeon is indeed speaking to the reader, and he changes the size of the type to show Pigeon's changing emotions. When the bird sulks, the type size is small, as if Pigeon is muttering to himself: "You just don't understand." And when the puppy arrives on the scene with a friendly "Woof?" Pigeon's terror shows with a bold, black scrawled "Aaaaaggghhh!" Of course Pigeon changes his mind about wanting a puppy, and decides what he really, really, really wants is... a walrus. Young kids will love reading along and answering back to Pigeon as he "talks" with them. This one joins Willems' other classics: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too! and The Pigeon Loves Things That Go!.

The long wait is over! The pigeon officially wants.... ...a PUPPY! Mo Willems once again creates a wonderful read-aloud book that engages children in a silly conversation that will tickle and delight. I am a huge fan of Willems' Pigeon books, and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus is easily in my Top Ten for Kids of All Time (see, I capitalized it, so it's really important!). Every time I read these aloud to groups of kids or to a single child, they light up and jump right into the story. A Pigeon story-time is a performance where the audience is in on the show. The Pigeon Wants a Puppy once again presents the loveable pigeon's pleading, bargaining and tantrums; this time for a puppy. Kids will be rolling when they hear him mistaking a puppy for something he'd have to water once a month, and Willems' illustrations again are so evocative, you can't help but read it with full emotion. Two thumbs up, ten out of ten, five stars, and all that jazz. Long live the Pigeon!